Research

Email:

Ama Boaten

JOMC 050

September 18, 2001

Lab: Friday 10-11.45

Section I:

Topic: Female Circumcision in Africa: Reasons and Health Risks.

Female circumcision is a tradition in parts of Africa and in the Middle East to remove parts of the female genital organ. There are three types of female circumcision: sunna, excision, and infibulation.

Older women and midwives conduct female circumcision with knives, blades, razors and sometimes broken glass without anesthesia in rural Africa. Thus, this practice poses major health risks to women in these countries. The World Health Organization has denounced female circumcision because of its health hazards to women. Health problems resulting from this practice include tetanus, loss of blood, shock, urinary track infections, and sometimes death.

Two Questions I would like to answer through research of this topic:

1. What is the rational behind female circumcision?

2. What are some of the health risks in female circumcision?

Intended audience: Women's rights organizations, people who practice female circumcision, victims, and health workers.

Section I-b: Keywords:

UNC Library catalog:

Female circumcision in Africa or health risks

Female circumcision in Africa or reasons behind female circumcision

Academic Universe Lexis-Nexis:

Female circumcision in Africa and health risks

Female circumcision and Africa!

Search engine on Web: www.google.com

Female circumcision in Africa and women's rights' groups

Female circumcision within Africa and health risks

Section II:

Two print sources from the UNC libraries:

Book Citations:

Shell-Duncan, Bettina. (2000). Female “Circumcision” in Africa: Culture, Controversy, and Change. Boulder, Colo., USA: Lynne Rienner. Call Number: GN484.F443 2000

Ramos, Isabel. (1999). The day Kadi lost part of her life. North Melbourne, Vic., Spinifex; Hadleigh. Call Number: GN484.M36 1999

One non-paper source from the UNC libraries:

Soraya, Mire.(1994) Fire eyes [Audio-visual], Available: Catalogs [Online]. Call Number: 65-V5028

Section III:

Academic Universe Lexis-Nexis Sources:

Six best sources on my topic:

Crawley, Mike. (2001, September 13). Alternative rite of passage tries to end female circumcision. Deutsche Presse-Agentur [Online], 802 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 17].

Tarvainen, Sinikka. (2001, May 27). Spain to adopt tougher measures against female circumcision. Deutsche Presse-Agentur [Online], 547 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 17].

Amal, Abd El Hadi. (1997, January 11). Health and Human Rights. A step forward for opponents of female genital mutilation in Egypt [Online], 690 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 17].

Mwaniki, Mike; Busire Julius. (2000, August 24). Medics warned over female circumcision. The Nation (Kenya) [Online], 353 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 17].

Osborn, Andrew; Boseley, Sarah. (2000, November 30). EU may ban aid to states that allow female circumcision. The Guardian (London) [Online], 472 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 17].

Midgley, Carol. (2001, August 24). Why must we still be mutilated?. The Times (London) [Online], 1744 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 17].

(I used the broad Keyword "female circumcision" to find most of the above sources.)

Section IV: Web sources on My Topic:

Title of Web page: Background: Briefings: Female circumcision: facts and myths

Web address: http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/background/briefings/newsid_42000/42924.stm

Brief Description: This page lashes at female circumcision. It gives the reasons behind this practice and explains the methods and health risks associated with it. The website describes the methods of female circumcision as "unhygienic" in rural areas in countries like Mozambique, Egypt and Sudan. The page explains that female circumcision is an operation carried out without anesthesia with razor blades, scissors, kitchen knives and pieces of glass that cause infections.

Source of Web site: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC NEWS).

Title of Web page: Genital Mutilation Is Basis for Asylum

Web address:

http://www.fgm.org/FGMBasis4Asylum.html

Brief Description: This page recounts the story of Ms. Abankwah, a Ghanaian woman who fled her hometown to the United States for fear of being circumcised. In October 1997, Immigration Judge Donn Livingston, of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) rejected her request for asylum but a second circuit court found that the BIA discounted important evidence and granted Abankwah asylum.

Source of Web site: Rising Daughters Aware.

Title of Web page: Female Genital Mutilation: A List of Selected Resources

Web address:

http://www.ippf.org/fgm/index.htm

Brief Description: This page explains that female circumcision is an entrenched tradition that violates women's rights to physical and mental health. The website also gives World Health Organization's estimates of the number of women who have and will undergone female circumcision. This web site also provides a list of books, reports and journal articles on female circumcision.

Source of Web site: International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Title of Web page: Fighting Female Genital Mutilation in Africa

Web address:

http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/background/briefings/newsid_42000/42924.stm

Brief Description: This site argues that female circumcision also known as female genital mutilation (FGM) is a violation of female's rights and an attempt to control women's sexuality and subordinate them in the society. The site list different countries and the most frequent type of female circumcision practiced. This site also recounts the attempts by some African countries like Nigeria and Senegal to make laws to end female circumcision.

Source of Web site: AfriPromote Banner Exchange. (This website's sources are based on UN agencies).

Title of Web page: Women Campaigns against Genital Mutilation Successful.

Web address:

http://www.afrol.com/ms_index.htm

Brief Description: This site presents quotations from women activists against female circumcision sharing their experiences about this practice. The site thus recounts campaigns by the activists to end female circumcision.

Source of Web site: AfriPromote Banner Exchange.

Section V:

Mini-Essay

Title: Health Risks of Female Circumcision in Africa.

Female circumcision is also known as female genital mutilation— a tradition practiced in 28 African countries and in the Middle East. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), female circumcision is any procedure to remove part or all of the external female genitalia for cultural reasons. There are three types: sunna, excision, and infibulation. Infibulation is the most extreme form involving the removal of the clitoris, labia minora, and the labia majora. Then, the raw edges of any remaining tissue are sewn together with silk or thread, or in many cases, held together with thorns. Female circumcision is often performed with knives, blades, and sometimes broken glass without anesthesia. WHO estimates that about 130 million women have undergone some form of female circumcision and 2 million girls are at risk of this operation.

Melissa A. Morgan, (Lexis-Nexis) presents the reasons behind female circumcision in her article “Female Circumcision.” Morgan explains that in cultures where female circumcision is practiced, it is believed that the procedure preserves virginity, prevents immorality and thus preserves family honor. Again, Morgan explains that in African countries like Nigeria and Burkina Faso, female circumcision is performed to prevent a newborn from touching the mother’s clitoris during birth. Thus, older village women and midwives perform this procedure on women in their advanced stages of pregnancy.

But many countries argue that female circumcision is a barbaric operation that endangers women’s health and violates their basic rights as humans. According to the American Association For The Advancement of Science Human Rights Action Network (AAASHRAN), medical complications resulting from female circumcision includes severe pain, shock, hemorrhage, infections, tetanus, and even death.

The United Kingdom, The United States Congress, and The American Medical Association (AMA) have criticized female circumcision and have launched a campaign for the control or eradication of this practice.

Work Cited:

Morgan, Melissa A. (1997, March 18). Female Genital Mutilation. The Journal of Legal Medicine [Online], 9860 words. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 17].

Three Websites:

Title of Web page: Fighting Female Genital Mutilation in Africa

Web Address:

http://www.afrol.com/Categories/Women/backgr_fighting_fgm.htm

Brief Description: This site describes female circumcision and argues that the practice is a violation of women's rights.

Source of Web site: AfriPromote Banner Exchange. (This website's sources are based on UN agencies).

Title of Web page: Egypt/ Gambia/kenya-Progress in the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Web Address:

http://www.hri.ca/urgent/

Brief Description: The site states that women have the right to health. It also presents the efforts of some African Law Courts to fight female circumcision.

Source of Web site: Urgent Alert, Africa New Service, The New York Times and Equity Now Alert.

Title of Web page: Female Genital Mutilation

Web Address:

http://www.afrol.com/ms_index.htm

Brief Description: The site gives a brief history of female genital mutilation and describes the process.

Source of Web site: International Planned Parenthood Federation